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Iosif Derecichei was born on October 8, 1962 in Marghita, a small city in the historic region of Transylvania in western Romania - perhaps best known throughout the world as the setting for the historical gothic novel Dracula.
As a child he found that drawing was something which came naturally, and he could sketch with ease anything he saw. His love of visual expression continued from then on, and he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ion Andreescu Art University in Romania several years later.
His early work was often done en plein air in an impressionistic style but as time passed the work eventually evolved toward semi-abstraction and abstract impressionism.
After the regime change in Romania in 1989, it became possible for Derecichei to exhibit his paintings abroad. He began working with galleries in Hungary having many exhibitions in the cities of Budapest, Debrecen and Keszthely.
In addition to Hungary and Romania, his work was presented in exhibitions in Western Europe, Japan and the USA.
In 2004 Derecichei moved to Canada and has since shown extensively in cities in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. Today, his paintings carry the fingerprint of the places where he was born and lived in along with new and dynamic interpretations of his adopted country, Canada.
| ARTIST STATEMENT | ||
I approach my work in a state of anticipation and adventure. Each begins as an exploration into the unknown and involves a sense of risk-taking. There is an attempt to convey emotion by expressing it in the metaphorical use of color, line and textures. | ||
In our individual journeys through time we are each influenced and transformed by the places, people and the events of our past. Memories, conscious or subliminal, permeate our thoughts and shape our journey into the future. With my paintings I strive to establish a sense of place, while exploiting the tension between figuration and abstraction to express energy and passion. The use of oils allows me to infuse the works with subtle variances in texture and values that to me are reflective of the nuances of meaning in life itself. | ||
The creation of each work nourishes me with new ideas and discoveries - a springboard for future expression. At a certain point in the process, as the images begin to speak to me, I realize that they have now taken on a distinct life of their own. It is always my hope that upon completion they will speak to others as well. | ||
